Jackal
The Jackal were a necromantic cult that operated in and around Medinat al-Salaam, and now Rokugan. They served masters unknown in the depths of the Burning Sands, and worked to prevent the Awakening of the Goddess, who was also known as Shinjo. The Jackals were known and feared for their ability to raise the dead into creatures called ghuls. The Jackal Origin Gods The jackal worshipped alien masters beyond the Ebon Stone. Starter Quotes (LBS - The Awakening) Members The cult was formed from would-be members of the Order of the Ebon Hand who had failed the Test of the Ebon Stone. The sewers of Medinaat al-Salaam were their home, emerging to strike at the world above in pursuit of a dark and brooding agenda. The Ebon Stone of the Ebonites was in some ways the center of their existence, for they worshipped the god they believed resided in the Stone, yet also feared it for the horrors it would bring about if it were ever released. Sayel Sayel, known as the Lying Darkness by the Moto, masqueraded the Jackal's ancient gods. Re-Awakening, Part 1, by Lucas Twyman History Pre-Awakening The Jackals were the terror of Medinaat al-Salaam. They made an ill-fated alliance with the jinn Kaleel. Prophecy Following the mandates of their Gods the Jackals strived to prevent the prophecy's coming fulfillment, the Awakening. Their targets were the Avatars, the beings whose blood was the key to the Awakening and whom the soul-stealers believed were harbingers of a dark age for humankind. Should the Jackals fail, the world would be plunged into a perilous period of history in which the souls of humanity would be forfeit to a terrifying lord of madness and eternal night. Awakening The jackal worked towards a goal of great good by performing acts of great evil. Despite their efforts, the Awakening happened in 1132, releasing the Goddess Shinjo. The jackal tried to gain control of the Stone several times. An important attack was made shortly after the Goddess was released, but the Ebonites repelled them. Slaves of Mortals, Part I, by Patrick Kapera But their gods said truth, and the Awakening allowed a young Senpet sahir to locate and destroy the Ebon Stone, that fueled so many of the city's evils for so long. It released the Lying Darkness into the world from where Shinjo had bound it. Post-Awakening The Jackals were crushed by the Celestial Alliance along with the jinn Kaleel during the Awakening, followed by persecution from the Ebonites afterward, and they fell into a deep and extended period of decline. With most of their best leaders dead and their followers destroyed or scattered, the Jackals no longer exerted the influence they once had. The remnant of the Jackals in Medinaat al-Salaam raised havoc when it could, under the leadership of the legendary Monkey Man. Rokugan Recently, the Jackals had arrived in Rokugan and formed an alliance with the Spider Clan Champion, the Dark Lord Daigotsu, by offering him intelligence and advice. Daigotsu regarded the cult with a healthy disdain, considering their skills mere cheap trickery, but the creature called the Ghul Lord, Th'lazz, and one of the Dark Lord's allies, asked Daigotsu not to destroy them. The Jackals came with a warning, that a greater darkness than even Daigotsu himself, Kali-Ma, was arising in the lands of the west and that the Dark lord should move to claim his empire quickly. Dawn of the Spider The Scarab Case In 1168 Daigotsu Rekai recovered the Scarab Case from the Tomb of the Seven Thunders. The Battle at the Tomb, Part 4, by Shawn Carman and Nancy Sauer and it was identified as an object of great power by the Ghul Lord. A Container of Sand The case was being used by a small number of Jackals serving under Daigotsu. Prayers and Treasures, p. 178 Jackal Schools * Jackal Necromancer Known Jackals * Enala - Champion * Fatina * Master Saleh * Monkey Man Category:Burning Sands